Emergency search launched for woman swept away in floodwater north of Sydney

3/8/2025 13:17

An emergency search is underway for a woman who was swept away in floodwater north of Sydney.



Police in the state of New South Wales (NSW) said on Sunday that the woman believed to be in her 20s was one of the two people in a car that became stuck while attempting to drive through floodwater near the town of Rothbury, 130 km north of Sydney, at around 7:50 p.m. local time on Saturday.



Both occupants were attempting to exit the vehicle when the female passenger was swept away. The driver, a second woman aged 27, was uninjured.



An emergency search commenced but was suspended overnight before resuming on Sunday morning.



During the initial search on Saturday night, crews from the NSW State Emergency Service (SES) located a 40-year-old man stuck in a nearby tree after he also became trapped in floodwater.



The man was swept from the tree but was eventually rescued and taken to hospital for assessment.



The NSW SES responded to over 1,400 calls for assistance amid heavy rain, wind and snow that hit the Hunter, Northern Tablelands and Mid North Coast regions north of Sydney on Saturday.